It’s no secret that arcades are old hat. It’s a shame; future generations won’t experience evenings of misspent youth among towering cabinets in their local bowling complex, with that nostalgic stuffy smell lingering in the air, dropping pound coin after pound coin. Those were the good old days. Today, arcades are online services, sterile menus full of short downloadable games that you can actually purchase and keep. OutRun Online Arcade delivers an authentic and thorough arcade fix, just without the sticky steering wheel and jeering youths. Perhaps there is a reason why arcades are dying out.

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For those who haven’t stepped into an arcade since 2003, OutRun 2 is a faithful upgrade of Yu Suzuki’s racing opus OutRun, preserving the exact same design of driving into the horizon with nothing but the wind in your hair and a clock on your back. Not only did feel the same as its eighties predecessor, complete with a perfect drift mechanic, but it made full use of current generation visuals for stunning landscapes to admire while doing 280kph round corners. It stands as the perfect example of a sequel and a dedicated tribute to the original. Online Arcade is an amalgamation of OutRun 2 and Special Tours, with online play to account for those missing linked cabinets to either side.

What makes OutRun special is not the thrill of going headfirst into a horde of traffic at the world’s tightest bends, but the complete sense of freedom and adventure. This isn’t a true racing game by conventional standards, but a road trip through stunning and often bizarre pastures; a sight-seeing rollercoaster. Palm beaches, stretching bridges, dense forests and shuttle launch pads await, with the sheer thrill of blasting through them all before the timer runs out. With the roar of your Ferrari, Magical Sound Shower blasting from the radio and AM-2’s signature bright visuals, it’s a serene yet tense experience, and one that orchestrates playing and spectacle perfectly.

Although it's one hell of a road trip, it’s actually a very linear game. With just a few lanes to hop between as you navigate traffic and five clear end destinations made through simple left or right choices, a single playthrough lasts less than five minutes. The delivery to each of those destinations is not only what makes the game stand out as an exhilarating adventure, but also adds significant replay value and strategy. While left routes stand easier than those tailing off to the right, they aren’t necessarily as fast, or full of drift corners, or packed with cars to boost and overtake.

Behind its veneer of linear courses are degrees of strategy to consider at every turn. Drifting isn’t just for showboating; it’s only way to take the sharpest turns, but in turn drops your speed and doesn’t allow you to slipstream for extra points. Deciding which corners can be taken flat out requires experimentation and practice, and which route is quicker more still. If you clip a car (or worse a corner) the car dramatically spins out, wasting points and more importantly time; slipping up a few times could see you stall just metres away from the finishing line. The clock is harsh, even on the easiest difficulties, but can be dispelled with practice.

While OutRun mode pits you against the traffic and an endless stream of rivals, Time Trial maximises your route choices to desperately shave off vital seconds, and Heart Attack flexes your drifting prowess and precision to impress a buxom blonde. The difficulty is bolstered further by challenging achievements worthy of completion and leaderboards that clock up times for all exits. It especially comes together when you have a friend to spar times with and achievement points to unlock, where with a little nudge you can have an incredibly challenging racing game despite no rivals to physically pit yourself against.

Even though the game is excellent value at £8, OutRun purists would want more. Some 2-D textures and sound bytes are low quality, and it lacks the original tracks from OutRun 2, as well as the additional challenges and various unlockables from the Xbox ports. The Online mode is also sub par; the matchmaking is an exercise of patience to find one not already in session but private rooms with friends can save hassle. Although it lacks the charm of playing alongside friends in crowded arcades, it’s still a great blast, if only as a short distraction from playing on your own.

While it has online as a selling point you won’t really need it; the crux is you, the open road, and the clock. It might not be the definitive version, but pound for pound it’s the best value for money, especially for something that’s endlessly thrilling as a five-minute escapade into the horizon or as a crunch session against the leaderboard. This arcade swan song has thankfully been rescued in the download age, and is one of the purest arcade experiences outside of stepping into one.